🥵 The great heat can compromise health and sporting performance. Above 30 degrees, in fact, the body overheats more rapidly due to the fact that controlling body temperature becomes increasingly difficult, since the effectiveness of sweating is reduced. This event increases fatigue and reduces performance.
❓ What to do? Here are two simple strategies:
🧊 SLUSH (crushed ice or popsicles) at rest, i.e. before exercise, allows for a reduction in core temperature of 0.5 degrees. During the effort (do you remember the Calippo at @letourdefrance 2022?) it reduces sweating, which results in less fluid and mineral losses, and could also lower the internal temperature. Overall it favors an improvement in performance by reducing fatigue.
🌿 LIE: Menthol is known for its perceived cooling effect and feeling of freshness in the mouth and nose. This effect is partly due to the action of the trigeminal nerve in the brain, which is involved in sensing and perceiving temperature. In practice, menthol tricks the body into believing it is in a cooler situation than it actually is.
👉🏼 The consumption of slush or a mint popsicle before or, where possible, during sport is, for example, an effective, scientifically tested strategy to combat the heat, reduce fatigue and increase performance on the hottest days.